Overall impressions

If you go to Gettysburg over the 4th of July weekend, you will likely see more American tourists than you will see over a full year in Normandy. 

And yet, this seems like so much more a holy site than Gettysburg: tainted as it is with our own sin of slavery. Here was a truly noble cause. Here was true self sacrifice. And it happened within living memory. 

Going here was my main reason for coming to France. I was still deeply moved. 

As we were leaving Omaha, we saw a camper stuck in the mud. A whole United Nations of people helped unstick it. As Peyton said, "We come to Normandy to help people. That's what we do. We're 'Muricans!"  

When I told him the guy next to us was German, he said, "Awwwwwkward!"